Supporting and guiding cane



Feb. 24, 1925.

G. J. VAUGHAN ET AL surromme AND GUIDING cum Filed Dec. 13. 192;

N W. m

"j UN ED ments in :1 Sup rssrnrsn'r- OFF 1,527,239 ICE.

GEORGE \T. VAUGHAN AND MICHAEL E. HUNT, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

snrros'rme AND GUIDING CANE.

Application flied December 13, 1923. Serial No. 680,447.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that we, Gnonon J. VAUGHA and MICHAEL 'E. HUNT, citizens of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improveorting and Guiding Cane,

lowing is a specification. relates to an improvement and guiding cane for the of which the f0 Our invention in a supporting blind, the general object being to provide a cane wherewith a .bhnd rson may maindiiicate and sensitive touch wit the surface over which he musttravel and also avoid wearisome effort or strain in handling'the cane. In addition our'object is to provide afdependable support for the user, thatis, provide a rigid cane adapted to steady or uphold a blind person in mounting stairs or steps or in walking upon a slippery pavementor icy sidewalk; 1

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a side view of our improved cane as it is held and handled by a blind person in guid-' ing or directing his movements. 2 is a front view of the'lower part of e cane on a somewhat larger scale. Fig. 3 is a sectional view, enlarged, of the lower end of the cane, showing the roller or wheel in its shiftedposition asoccurs when pressure is brought the ear downwardl upon the cane so that the f e is direct y engaged with the round and a solid support provided for the user. Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of the sleeve and plunger. Fig. 5 isa sectional view of a modification of the invention. Canes, as commonly used b the blind are mere walking sticks provid ferrules at their lower ends, and such canes 'or'sticks are used to tap the pavement etapping is also wearisome if long continued.

- The repeated raising and lowering movements of the ferrule end ing or a projection in his path or produce a slip or a sudden shock or jar by encountering such an opening or projection. To overcome the objections noted, our invention comprises a cane or stick 2 of any suitable form or shape, but preferably a true course and engagement with the ground, and a flat relawith metal sidewalk of, the cane may' either cause a blind person-to skip an openformed with a lateral hand grip or handle 3 at its upper end and a metal ferrule 4 at 1ts lower end. In car blind person will ordinarily take hold of the hand grip so that the body of the cane 1s uppermost and the hand grip points downwardly tqward his person, thereby permlttmg the cane to be freely turned or twisted a nally when extended forwardly for directing or guiding purposes. Thus, if the ferrule end of the cane is supported by a small wheel or roller 5 mounted at one side of the body of the cane the weight of the canetends to turn the cane. in a slight measure within the hand which is of ad-- vantage because the user ing this cane a permit the solid ferrule 4 to strike the.

groundby avity, the turning movement proceeding rom the rim ofwheel 5 where riding upon the ground. This wheel is preferably about two inches in diameter and mounted relatively near the end of the caneso that the extremity of ferrule 4 will be retired inwardly of the circumference of the wheel and the ferrule normally raised above the ground whenthe wheel is held squarely at rest thereon or riding on its rim with the axis of the wheel horizontally parallel with the supporting surface. he wheel is also SOlld and preferabl'y heavy enough to hold the cane to in constant riding tively wide tread 6 is preferred for stability and to avoid droppin or we'dging of the wheel into narrow crac s or openings. The ferrule at the side of the wheel comes very close to the surface when the wheel is used as a riding support for the cane, and thus the ferrule and Wheel also operate together sin 1 crevices or cracks, such as found in or any relatively low ridges or protruding obstructions in the path of the ferrule,- by lifting the extremity of the ferrule out of the way thereof so that no sudden stoppage and shock will be transmitted to the blind holder of the canewhile he is moving forwardly. He is also in constant sensitive touch with the conditions he must meet be cause this roller is in constant contact with the surface. in advance ofhis steps. Moreover, if an abrupt declivit is reached the roller will ride over it an drop until the ids or gratings. The wheel also .permitst e cane to ride oversuch gratings revent the cane from dropping into may be cane itself rests on the edge, while if an obstruction is met with too high for the roller to ride up and thereover *the cane W111 be arrested in its forward movement and signal the conditionto the blind holder of the cane.

To cushion'any sudden stoppage of the cane, and for other reasons hereinafter stated, we prefer to mount the roller or wheel in a yielding position upon the cane or its ferrule. Thus, in one formof our invention we provide a hollow netal sleeve 6 adapted to receive the reduced end of the stick or rod 2 which'may be made either of Wood or metal or the entire body of the cane hollow. Ferrule a is preferably a separate steel piece inserted and fastened within the lower end of sleeve (5 in any suitable way, and this ferrule may be a removable part to permit its replacement by a similar piece, inasmuch as such ferrules are subject to wear by repeated contact with stone pavements, etc. Within hollow sleeve 6 is a movable plunger 8 backed by a coiled spring 9, and a lateral projection. stud or shaft 10 extendsfrom plunger 8 through a longitudinal slot 11 in the side wall ofsleeve (3. Wheel 5 is carried by plunger 8 by means of stud or projection 10 and any suitable means may be used to secure the roller or wheel rotatably in place thereon at the s de of sleeve 6. A sliding cover or plate 12 conforming to the shape of sleeve 6 completely encloses slot 11 so that dirt will'be excluded from the hollow interior and the plunger may operate freely. The sleeve may be round, square, hexagonal or of other 7 shape in cross section, and a screw 14 or other suitable means may be used to fasten the sleeve in place upon body 2. When the cane is held upright or in a substantially perpendicular position with roller 5- resting on the presses the plunger ownwardly to its limit and yieldingly supports the cane and its ferrule in a slightly elevated position above and apart from the ground or surface. However, if the user of the cane applies pressure or places his weight upon the cane the resistance of spring?) is immediately counteracted and the ferrule will rest solidly on the ground to sustain and support the user of the cane. As soon as the pressure or weight is removed from the cane the spring asserts itself and places the roller in its normal guiding position. In this way, the cane may be usedsafely and instantly by a blind person, either as a rolling guide, or as a stabilizing support, without setting or adjusting any device or manipulating any part of the cane other than the bare handle thereof which is constantly in hisgrip.

One or more rollers may be used, but where a single roller is employed at one side of the cane a rotative movement of the ound, s ring 9 within sleeve 6 cane will cause the ferrule to strike the ground Without end movement or chan e of position of the plunger or wheel relatively to the ferrule. Thus a cane with a fixed roller may also be useful, but a springpressed roller is preferred because it permits either a turning movement or a yield ing end movement in effecting a solid seat-- ing of the ferrule upon the pavement whenever the need arises. The roller may be supported in various ways, but as shown in Fig. 3 stud shaft 10 is removably secured within a transverse opening in plunger 8 by means of a set screw 19 located axially at one end of the plunger. If a pair of rollers 5 and 5" are used, as shownin Fig. 5, rollers may be placed on opposite sides of the cane and adapted to rotate inde endently to permit the cane to travel in ifi'er ent directions depending upon the election of the operator who may tilt or turn the cane axially in one direction or the other and cause the ferrule end of the cane to move diagonally across the path of the user and then back again.

The roller may be mounted in ayielding position adjacent the fixed ferrule in other ways, than as shown, and therefore, we do not wish to limit ourselves to a sliding plunger and a coiled sprin confined within the hollow. end of a cane, ut desire to include any mechanical e uivalent adapted to hold the roller in a yie ding position opposite the ferrule so that roller and ferrule may be used alternatively for the protection and safety of the blind user of the cane.

What we claim is: v

1. A cane for the blind, having a riding member secured to its lower end in a position to permit said member and the end of the cane to be used alternately for guiding and supporting the user.

2. A cane for the blind, having asupporting ferruleat one end and a guidin roller at one side of the ferrule, said rol er and ferrule being arranged to permit independent use thereof by the holder of the cane.

3. A cane for the blind, havin a stable supporting end and a resilient gui ing memmovement.

6. A guiding and sup ortin cane for the blind, comprising an emfferru e and ayielding riding member mounted laterally adjacent said ferrule. j j

- 7. A guiding and sup orting cane for the blind, having a metal errule at its lower support the'cane for a cushioning riding end, a roller projected beyond said ferrule, I

" end, and a riding member carried by said plunger. Y 9. A guiding and sup orting cane for the blind, comprismg a tubu ar end portion, and

' a supporting member ielda roller havienlg ingly mount .within said tubular en por- 10. A guiding and sufiporting cane for the blind, comprising a tu ular member having a metal ferrule at its lower end, a plunger and a spring within said membeiyand a roller mounted upon said plunger at'one side of said member.

the blind, comprising an end portion having a slot, a roller having a movable support extending through. said slot, and a spring pressing against said support adapted to project the roller beyond the supporting end of the cane.

12. A guiding and supporting cane for the blind, comprising a tubular end portion having an opening, a guiding member and amovable support therefor connected with the blind, havin said opening.

' 13. A guiding and sup orting cane for v I theblind, comprising a ho low end portion having a removable metal ferrule, and a guiding roller yieldingly supported upon' said end portion oppos1te sai errule.

14. A guiding and su porting cane for the blind, comprising a tub her having a coiled sprin cable plunger therein, sai a lateral projection extending through said slot, a roller mounted upon said pro ection,

and a reciproand a closure plate for said slot connected 15. A guiding and supporting cane for a pair of guiding rollers with said projection.

mounted upon t e lower end thereof and movable back and forth relatively to the 11. A guiding and supporting cane for bottom of the cane.

16. A guiding and supporting cane for the blind, having a pair of uiding rollers supported in a yielding position beyond the lower supporting end thereof.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

GEO. J. VAUGHAN. MICHAEL E; HUNT. Witness:

Loom F. VAUGHAN.

ular slotted mom-"j plunger having 

